Wichita’s golf system is in such dire straits that even if the city closes Clapp Golf Course as expected, there still might be winter blackouts and employee furloughs at the other four courses, the city’s parks director said Tuesday.
The Park Board has called a special meeting on Friday to act on a recommendation to close Clapp and sell off part of the site for commercial and residential development. The course, at 4611 E. Harry, has frontages that can be developed on Harry, Oliver and Mount Vernon.
Golf finances are so shaky that even beyond the closure of Clapp, officials are considering rolling closures of the other four courses during the winter months when only the hardiest golfers venture out onto the links. The plan is to close one or two courses at a time for two weeks at a time, starting in December and continuing into January, said Hillman and Park and Recreation Director Troy Houtman.
“Instead of having four or five courses open with 20 rounds a day, (the idea is to) funnel them all to one golf course that would be operating at 80 to 100 rounds,” Houtman said.
Staff would be furloughed when their course was closed for the rolling blackout, Houtman said.
“That’s what would save us some money,” Houtman said. “That would be a hardship on staff.”
(Read more: Wichita Eagle)